Circle of Stars
by IchigoTheStray
Summary: The new teacher knows a secret. She knows the secret to an ancient power that could be the key to victory against the Dark Lord, but it could also force Harry to run for his life. HPLL, HGRW, eventually GWDM. Rated for later chapters.
1. A Little Gossip

Hello! This is Ichigo, and this is my lovely alter ego, Kaori!

Kaori: Lovely?

This story has been a journey for us. In the original version, we had a significant problem: We had waaaaaay too many original characters. And nobody was reading it. And it was kind of stupid because we were trying to add about ten extra students to Hogwarts in the middle of the sixth year.

Kaori: Lovely?

So we've tried to fix the problem as much as possible. And so we turned most of those OCs into cameo characters that won't appear until much later, and we turned one into the new DADA teacher (because there has to be one anyway). But we still needed one to be a student. So we apologize for needing her, but we'll try to see her as little as possible. Sorry. We do think you'll like her, though. So here goes!

Kaori: What happened to crazy? I'm supposed to be your crazy alter ego, damn it!

We don't own Harry Potter! Here's chapter one!

* * *

Harry's dreams carried him over the mountains. They carried him over oceans and deserts, far from any land he knew. What he saw was a vast grassland, open, treeless, stretching on as far as his eyes could see. And he was running. Galloping, four hooves pounding on the dry ground, wild mane blowing like a banner in the wind. He was free. Unlimited. Unstoppable.

Lonely.

He wasn't sure why he ran. He did not know if he was running from something or running to something. And he didn't know if it mattered. He just closed his eyes and let the wind tell him which way to go.

* * *

Harry dragged his eyelids open. Sunlight was flooding in through the high window of his bedroom at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Ron was very much awake. He was rushing around the room, half-dressed, tossing his belongings into a trunk.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "Should have packed yesterday..."

"Are we late?" Harry asked blearily.

"Not yet," Ron said, chucking a pair of socks into his open trunk. "But you know Mum. The tiniest hint of trouble and she goes mental. Did I get everything?"

Harry swung himself out of bed and pulled off his pajamas.

"Geez, Harry," Ron said, grimacing. "If you're going to change in front of me, at least have the decency to wear underwear."

"Sorry," Harry said, distantly.

Ron sighed. Harry's mind was elsewhere. Actually, Harry's mind had been elsewhere all summer. He tried to pretend as if nothing were wrong, but Ron knew him well enough to know better.

The loss of his godfather had taken more of a toll on Harry than he liked to pretend. Harry had been reaching out for a parent's love for his entire life, and when he had finally found Sirius, he had slipped out from under his fingers. He cried in his sleep. By daylight he walked almost as if he were still waiting to wake up. Ron hoped that returning to Hogwarts would help to bring Harry back to reality, but he didn't really think it would.

There was a quick knock on the door and Hermione entered, without waiting for a reply.

"Her_mi_one_,"_ Ron said.

"Oh, please," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "As if I haven't seen you two without shirts on before."

"If you'd been about three seconds earlier Harry wouldn't have had any pants on, either," Ron muttered.

Harry pulled a white T-shirt over his head and shook his hair out of his eyes. Hermione smiled at him fondly, then turned her gaze to Ron in a look of exasperated adoration.

"Where's my shirt?" Ron demanded.

Harry grinned. "You've packed it in your trunk, mate," he said.

"Bloody hell," Ron groaned, digging through his trunk.

"You two had better hurry up," Hermione said. "Ron, your Mum's made pancakes."

* * *

"I love when Mum's in a good mood," Ron said as he and Harry jogged down the stairs. "It's easier to get away with stuff."

The kitchen was alive with the usual nervous energy of the first day of term. Mrs. Weasley was humming to herself, constantly glancing at the clock while still keeping a watchful eye on a frying pan of bacon and a second of pancakes that flipped themselves as Harry watched. Hermione was talking animatedly with Tonks, whose hair was long, stick straight, and chestnut brown today, and Ginny was feeding bits of bacon to her new tawny owl, her shiny prefect's badge glinting from where it lay on the table. Mr. Weasley was drinking a cup of coffee and reading the _Daily Prophet_. He looked up as Harry and Ron entered.

"Good morning," he said, with the same feigned cheerfulness he had had all summer. Mrs. Weasley poured him more coffee and he beckoned to the pitcher of milk, which waddled across the table and emptied itself into his cup. "I have to say," he said, returning to the paper, "I'm much more inclined to read the _Prophet_ now that it isn't slandering our friends every day."

Tonks nodded in agreement. "If nothing else good has come out of the past year, at least the newspaper is almost printing the truth."

"Eat up, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, dropping a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of him. "Ginny, dear, are you packed?"

"Yes, Mum," Ginny said, sighing as though she had already answered the question several times.

Hermione rose from the table. "I've just got to find Crookshanks," she said.

Mrs. Weasley looked at the clock again. "Plenty of time," she said, as if to herself. "We have plenty of time. Does anybody want more pancakes?"

"No thank you, Molly," Mr. Weasley said. "I think we're fine."

"Any idea why they asked you for athletic robes?" Tonks asked. She was referring to the school supply list which had arrived a few weeks before. To everyone's utter bewilderment, 'two sets of plain athletic robes (any colour)' had been the third item on the list.

"No clue," Ron said, his mouth full of pancakes. He swallowed. "I mean, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must have asked for them, but I don't know why we'd need them."

"Who's the new teacher this year?" Harry asked, swigging his orange juice. "Does anybody know?"

"Dumbledore mentioned her name," Mrs. Weasley said vaguely. "It sounded Asian, I think. Ginny, dear, are you packed?"

"Yes, Mum," Ginny groaned.

"Professor Shimizu, I believe," Mr. Weasley said, turning the page of the _Daily Prophet_.

Tonks looked up. "Koryu Shimizu?" she said.

"I think so, yes."

"I've met her. She's incredible."

"That's good to hear." Mr. Weasley returned to his newspaper again. "I wasn't too pleased with last year's teacher, not that we had a choice."

Harry finished his breakfast and turned to Ron. "I'm going to go check to see if I've got everything," he said. Ron nodded, saying he would be up in a few more minutes. As Harry left the kitchen, he heard Mrs. Weasley saying, "Ginny, dear..."

* * *

They arrived at Platform 9 3/4 with twenty minutes to spare.

"I wonder if it's an omen," Ron joked. "We're never here early."

"Maybe," Hermione said, smiling at him affectionately, "but is it a good omen or a bad omen?"

"No idea," Ron shrugged, returning the smile. He turned and dragged his trunk off of the cart. Harry stepped forward and helped him to load their luggage onto the train.

Harry and Hedwig were the last on board. Harry put her cage down and stood for a moment to catch his breath. Ginny fidgeted. Ron nervously put an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Uh, Harry," Hermione said, "we - erm - have to go to the prefect's box. Sorry." She smiled apologetically.

Harry's heart sank. Of course. Ron and Hermione had had to leave him last year, and now Ginny was a prefect, too.

"We're really sorry, Harry," Ginny said.

"No, it's all right," Harry said, crossly.

* * *

The benefit to arriving early, Harry decided, was that you got a better choice of seats. He passed several empty compartments before finally settling for one near the end of the train.

He had sat alone for several minutes when the compartment door slid open and Luna Lovegood entered, followed by a tall boy Harry didn't recognise.

"Oh, hello," Luna said dreamily, as if she had just noticed where she was.

"Hello, Harry," the boy said. "Mind if we sit here?"

"Not at all," Harry said, wondering who he was. He was carrying a strange, cactus-like plant under his arm - _mimbulus mimbletonia_. Harry suddenly realised who it must be.

"_Neville?"_ he said.

Neville grinned. "Didn't recognise me, did you?"

Harry shook his head as Neville took a seat across from him. He had changed a lot over the summer. He seemed to have finally grown into his own body. He was less awkward than he had once been, and he seemed to have bulked up a good deal.

"I didn't recognise him either," Luna said, taking the seat next to Harry.

"I grew six inches," Neville said, excitedly. "I bet I'm almost as tall as Ron now. I only went up two shoe sizes, though." He looked in puzzlement at his feet. Harry glanced down, trying to conceal his smile.

"Looks like your feet fit you now," he said. And it was true. Neville no longer looked like he was wearing clown shoes.

"It kind of hurt, though," Neville said, as the train began to move. "I mean, I'd wake up in the middle of the night with this horrible-"

He stopped himself as the compartment door opened again and a girl walked in. Harry had never seen her before, but he didn't believe for a minute that she was a first year. He wondered if perhaps Neville or Luna knew who she was, but a quick glance at their faces told him that she was a stranger to them, too.

"Erm, hi," she said, nervously. She sounded like she had a cold. "Do you - er - do you mind if I sit here? There's, uh, there's no room anywhere else, and, uh..."

"It's fine," Neville said. "Go ahead." He scooted towards the window to make room for her, blushing a little.

She was fairly short, and had thick, curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Her skin was the colour of coffee with cream, and she had the faintest hint of freckles dusted across her nose. Her hair bounced when she moved her head, and each of her shoulder-length curls had a caramel-coloured light running through it.

"A-are you a first year?" Neville said. "I've never seen you before, have I?"

The girl shook her head. "I'm Lilia DiAngelo," she said. "I..." She paused. "I'm Professor Shimizu's daughter."

"Oh," Neville said, uncomfortably. "I'm Neville Longbottom. So, er... what year are you in?" He looked around at Luna and Harry for help. Lilia didn't seem to want to talk.

"I'll be a sixth year," she said, looking at her shoes. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous..."

"My father says she's an anarchist," Luna said, picking at her lime green nailpolish. "Is it true?" She looked over at Lilia. "Your mother, I mean," she added.

Lilia continued to stare at her shoes. "I've never met her," she finally said.

"Oh," Neville said.

After several more unsuccessful attempts to tear the girl's attention away from her shoes, Neville gave up. Luna pulled out a new issue of _The Quibbler_ while Harry and Neville's conversation turned to athletic robes.

"Different from Quidditch robes, aren't they? I thought they'd be really similar."

"Luckily, I already had a pair, so I knew all about fitting for them. Listen, Harry, I really don't think I'm going to trip down that third floor staircase anymore. See, I've been taking ballet lessons with Ginny and-"

"_What?"_ Harry said.

"Oh, please don't laugh at me," Neville said. "It's put some muscle on me, see?"

Harry had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing.

Actually, he wasn't really surprised to hear that Neville had taken ballet classes. He was more surprised that he had been living in the same house as Ginny for over a month and he'd had no idea she was taking ballet lessons. He had been more out-of-touch than he'd thought.

"... it's really great for you, Harry, I swear, and you get to meet all kinds of girls and everything and-"

"Neville," Harry said, laughing, "I don't care that you took ballet lessons. It's okay. Just don't let Malfoy find out or he'll be calling you 'Twinkletoes' until the day you die."

Luna smiled and Harry found himself looking into her dreamy blue eyes. He looked away quickly, a little embarrassed.

And then it happened.

There was a sudden screech, then a lurch. With a sick groan of bending metal, the Hogwarts Express slowly began to lean, then ran off of the rails, turning over onto its side.

* * *

And there's chapter one! So, what did you think?

Kaori: I think it's hard to get all of the 'let's get on the train and go to school' stuff out of the way.

Review, please! Pleeeeeeeease! Tell us if we are doing a better job than we did last time we tried to write this story. It's a tough one to start, I have to say.

Kaori: I think this is one of the longest chapters we've written, isn't it, Ichi? Review! Thank you!


	2. Something Bad

Hi there! Sorry for the delay.

Kaori: We got absorbed in the school play.

And for any of you other people who are obsessed with drama... Brownie points to whoever notices when we reference a musical.

Kaori: Ichigo... nobody cares.

... oh...

Kaori: We don't own Harry Potter. Here's chapter 2.

* * *

Ron woke to panic.

"What happened?"

"Is it You-Know-Who?"

Ron did a quick mental check to make sure he wasn't missing any body parts, then looked around for Ginny and Hermione. The muffled screams from the other compartments made his heart pound.

Ginny he didn't see. Then he remembered that she had been on duty patrolling the train with Colin Creevey. Hermione lay unconscious next to him, her head on her shoulder, her face looking just so slightly worried. She looked pretty like that, Ron thought. Her chest rose and fell gently, as if she had merely fallen asleep.

"_Ennervate_," Ron muttered. Nothing happened. "Oh, bloody hell. _Ennervate!_"

Hermione's eyes fluttered and opened.

"Ron!" she said. "What happened?"

"We derailed, I guess," Ron said, "but how come we're not hurt?"

"The train has safety spells on it," Hermione said, looking around. "Honestly, Ron, when will you read _Hogwarts, A History_?"

Ron was going to say, "When pigs fly," but stopped himself when he realized that that could easily be arranged. Ron looked up and for the first time processed what was around him.

The compartment was completely upside-down. Pigwidgeon's cage had burst open and the tiny owl was hovering over their heads, screeching madly. Ginny's tawny owl, Atlas, was ruffling his feathers indignantly. Ron righted his cage and looked helplessly up at the fluffy ball of a bird whizzing around the ceiling - or rather, the floor.

"Come on, Pig," Hermione said, coaxingly. Ron stood up tentatively on the curved ceiling.

"What do you reckon we should do?" he said.

A low yowl from the overturned basket on the floor told them exactly how Crookshanks felt about the situation.

"Get out, I suppose," Hermione said, turning Crookshanks' basket over. She tried to stay calm, but her heart was racing, "C-can we get out the window?"

Ron rattled at the window. He was glad he was with Hermione.

* * *

Luna's eyes opened instantly. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she weren't just disoriented from the crash. She was sprawled on her back on the wall, next to the compartment door. She couldn't move. Something heavy was pinning her down.

It was Harry. His head rested on her chest and his breath was peaceful. She almost didn't want to wake him. He seemed so serene, something that he had never been as long as she had known him.

"Harry!" Neville said. "Wake up!"

Harry's brow furrowed slightly as he brushed the edge of consciousness. His eyes slowly opened.

"Sorry," he said, pushing himself up off of Luna. "Are you all right?"

"I think so," Luna said, sitting up. Her head was pounding, but nothing seemed to be seriously wrong.

"How do we get out?" Neville asked, crouched in the corner. Turned on end, the compartment was not tall enough to stand up in.

"We could try the door," Luna said.

Harry looked down through the glass. The tiny corridor was only about two feet wide to begin with, and now the dimensions were inverted and it was littered with broken glass from the lanterns on the wall. If they went out into the hall, they would have to crawl through it.

"The window, then," Neville said.

Lilia reached up next to her head and opened the latch on the window, sliding it open.

"I'll go first," Neville said. "I'm the tallest, so I can help you guys down."

Harry nodded. It made sense. Neville pulled himself up through the open window and looked around. The wind was cold on his face and the train car under his knees left dirt on his trousers. He leaned over the edge and looked down as Harry pulled himself up. It was about a ten foot drop to the ground.

"Do you want to jump?" Harry asked him. Neville looked at Harry, then at the ground.

"No," he said. They were finally content to find their footing on the greasy undercarriage.

When he was about halfway down, Neville's foot suddenly slipped on the slimy machinery. He grabbed for a handhold, slicing his palm on the sharp end of a wire. He dropped to the ground, the impact of the landing knocking the wind out of him.

"You okay?" Harry called.

Neville caught his breath. "Yeah." He wiped his grimy hands on the grass and stood up, looking up at where Luna and Lilia now stood on top of the train car. Harry held up a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. About a dozen other people had already hobbled their way out of the wreckage.

"What should I do with your owl?" Luna called. She clutched Hedwig's cage in her arms.

"Let her out," Harry called back. "Then throw me the cage."

In a flurry of snowy white, Hedwig burst from her cage and soared away. Harry caught the brass cage and put it on the ground.

"How do we get down?" Lilia said, her voice barely audible. Her curly hair bounced in the wind.

"Jump," Neville said, raising his voice to be heard. "I'll catch you."

Lilia hesitated, then moved cautiously toward the edge.

"It's all right," Neville said. "You can trust me." He held out his arms. The wind stung at his injured hand.

Lilia stood perfectly still for a moment, the squeezed her eyes shut and jumped. Neville caught her. She clung to him for a moment, then dropped to the ground.

Luna looked down at Neville's outstretched arms, reluctant to jump. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she just wished that Harry would catch her instead. She looked down at Neville again. It seemed an awfully long drop. She didn't dare close her eyes. She jumped.

As Neville put her feet back on the ground, a wave of dizziness crashed over her like a sack of bricks. She swayed for a moment, then her legs gave way and she toppled to the grass. Harry rushed to her side. Her head was throbbing like mad and her vision was spinning.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, genuine worry in his green eyes.

"Yes," Luna said, shakily. "Just a little dizzy, that's all."

Harry knelt down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders to support her. Luna let herself slump against his chest.

"Harry!"

Harry looked up. It was Ron and Hermione.

"Harry, we've been so worried!" Hermione rushed forward.

"All right, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. He slid his other arm under Luna's knees and lifted her, protesting weakly, from the ground. She was small, but still surprisingly light.

"If you can't stand up, you can't walk," Harry said gently. Luna mumbled something incoherent and slipped her arms around Harry's neck.

"She'll be all right, I think," Harry said, seeing Hermione and Ron's concerned faces. "She's just a little dizzy." Luna could feel his chest rumbling when he spoke.

"Look!" someone shouted, pointing to the sky.

Luna raised her eyes to where the shouter was pointing. It was the school carriages, pulled through the air by the black, fleshless thestrals. Almost before the first had landed, the door flew open and Professor McGonagall sprang out, followed instantly by Professor Flitwick. Professor McGonagall's lips were thinner than Harry had ever seen them. More teachers poured out of each carriage, including an extremely tall woman Harry presumed must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry didn't get much of a look at her before she swept to the other side of the train. Professor McGonagall sent a rainbow of sparks up from her wand.

"Attention, students," she said. "Those who are not injured will please board the carriages. They will take you back to Hogwarts. Those who are injured will be sent by Portkey. Thank you."

Harry looked down at Luna, cradled like a doll in his arms. "Do you need to take the Portkey?" he said.

Luna shook her head. This made her even dizzier. She rested her head against Harry's shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. The caress of his warm breath gave her goosebumps. His voice rumbled like an earthquake.

"I'm sure," she said. "I don't need the hospital wing."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Luna stared at him stubbornly. He sighed. "All right," he said.

"You're bleeding," Lilia said suddenly. Neville looked down at his hand.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I cut it climbing out of the train."

"Oh, Neville," Hermione said. She muttered a spell and bandages sprang from the tip of her wand, wrapping around Neville's hand.

Ron looked at Lilia quizzically. "Who are you?" he said.

"She's Professor Shimizu's daughter," Neville said. Hermione looked at her, surprised, but didn't say anything.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron suddenly said. "Where is she? Did she get out?"

"Ron," Hermione said, tugging on his arm, "we have to go to the carriages."

"I'm not leaving until we find Ginny," Ron said.

"I'm sure she's fine," Neville said, sounding unconvinced.

"Let's go, Ron," Hermione insisted. "The teachers will take care of everything."

"Who's Ginny?" Lilia whispered, standing on tiptoe to be heard by Neville.

"She's Ron's younger sister," Neville whispered back.

"Come on, mate," Harry said. "Ginny will be fine."

With great reluctance, Ron followed them to the carriages. "Do you think we can fit all six of us in one?" Neville wondered.

"Harry, look," Hermione said. She pointed over to the engine, which was overturned.

"What?" Harry said.

"The wheel," Hermione hissed.

Harry looked closer. The nearest front wheel of the black steam engine was warped, twisted, as if something molten hot had struck it.

They did manage to all fit into one carriage, though it was somewhat cramped. Harry had insisted that Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Lilia all squeeze into the same side of the carriage so that Luna could lie down. She rested her head on Harry's lap, her blonde hair spilling over her face.

After a few moments, they felt the carriage begin to move. It gradually gained speed, and then took to the air. For a long time, nobody said a thing. Luna stared straight ahead, trying to focus her still-dancing vision. Harry twiddled his thumbs quietly, his eyes flickering restlessly around the carriage. Ron tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. Hermione gently took his arm and patted it comfortingly, then laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Neville fidgeted, trying to edge away from Hermione and Ron, but there was no room on the crowded seat. Lilia looked at her shoes. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"Erm - does this... uh, happen often?"

Harry shook his head.

Ron sat up and opened his eyes. "I hope Ginny's all right," he muttered. "Merlin's beard - if something happened to her? I couldn't live with myself."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Hermione said. She rubbed Ron's back gently. "The teachers won't let anything happen to her."

"Oh, yeah," Ron said. "Just like they did in our second year." He jerked away from her and banged his elbow on the mahogany panelling.

Hermione sighed.

"And anyway," Ron continued, rubbing his elbow, "what if they come back?"

"What if who come back?" Hermione said.

"The Death Eaters, of course," Ron spat.

Lilia looked up. "What Death Eaters?" Neville said.

"The ones who caused the train wreck!" Ron said, his ears reddening.

"Ron," Hermione said, "we don't know who or what cause the-"

"Oh, come on," Ron said. "Who else could it have been?"

A disgruntled meow floated up from the floor. Ron had accidentally kicked Crookshanks' basket.

"Erm," Lilia said, looking around helplessly, "What are Death Eaters?"

Even Luna sat up. Ron gaped. "You're kidding, right? You don't know who the Death Eaters are?" Lilia shook her head. "Where the hell have you _been_?"

"Detroit," she said. "I've lived there all my life."

Neville and Ron looked blank.

"Detroit?" Harry said, surprised.

"It's in the United States," Hermione explained.

"You're American?" Neville said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't sound American."

"I have a cold," she said, shrugging, a soft blush spreading across her nose. She looked up at Neville sheepishly and his heart fluttered. "Erm, what are Death Eaters?"

Hermione answered. "They're servants of You-Know-Who," she said. "Were you raised with Muggles, or do they not have Death Eaters in America?"

"I don't know," Lilia said, shyly, trying to hide from Hermione's inquisitive eyes. "I was raised by a witch, but she was a -" She stopped herself. "And there was this one wizard boy..." She trailed off and looked back down at her shoes.

"But if it wasn't Death Eaters," Ron said, jumping back to the previous topic, "who was it?"

"I don't know," Harry sighed. He agreed with Ron that Voldemort was probably behind the attack, but, as Hermione pointed out, they had no real proof.

"We don't know anything for sure yet," she said. "For all we know, it could have been an accident."

Ron looked at Harry and shook his head. Nobody really believed that it was an accident.

But nobody said a word.

* * *

And that's it for Chapter 2! Hope you liked it, and we also hope that you think Lilia is okay. We're doing our best to keep her out of the spotlight until we know of you like her or not.

Kaori: Please review! And come back for Chapter 3!


	3. Conversation Piece

Okay, we're back!

Kaori: After several months. Sorry.

And yes, the new Harry Potter book is coming out this month, but we'll keep writing if you'll bear with us and keep reading. But anyway, here's Chapter 3.

Kaori: We don't own Harry Potter.

Nuh-uh.

Kaori: I think this is the calmest I've ever seen you, Ichigo... You feeling all right?

* * *

By the time the flock of carriages had arrived at the castle, Luna felt much better. She would have been completely content to walk to the Great Hall unassisted, but Harry still held fast to her arm. 

"Harry," she said, "I'm fine now."

"Look, mate," Ron said, when Harry still refused to let go, "she doesn't need help."

Harry opened his mouth to tell Ron to mind his own business, but was stopped by the sudden arrival of Professor Snape.

"Miss DiAngelo?" he sneered.

Lilia did her best to hide behind Neville.

"Would you come with me, please?" He turned and swept away, and Lilia tentatively followed, throwing a helpless look over her shoulder.

"A bit odd, isn't she?" Luna said dreamily. (Harry had finally let go of her arm.)

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Ron thought, but he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut for once.

The Great Hall, usually aglow with warm excitement, was somber and empty. Nearly a third of the students were still missing. Harry, Hermione, and Neville sat silently while Ron watched anxiously for Ginny. Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand. Ron squeezed back a little too hard and Hermione winced.

"Sorry," he said, tensely.

The thin stream of students gradually trickled to a stop. Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Ron dropped his head into his hands.

Dumbledore's voice broke the uneasy silence.

"My dear students," he said, "I would like to give my sincere apologies for the unfortunate accident on the train. I assure you that there were no serious injuries, and that your friends in the hospital wing have suffered nothing worse than a few broken bones."

A wave of murmurs surged through the Great Hall. A few teachers began to emerge through a door behind the High Table. Professor Sprout, Professor Sinistra, Madam Hooch.

"That said," Dumbledore continued, "I would like to welcome you back to Hogwarts. I regret to say that Professor McGonagall will not be with us for the sorting ceremony this year, but Professor Flitwick will be filling in for her." He gestured towards the doors, through which Professor Flitwick was already leading the most frightened batch of first years Harry had ever seen.

Harry felt himself slipping from reality again. It seemed like it had been ages since he had last slept. He heard the strange, gravely voice of the Sorting Hat. Then, Professor Flitwick's high, squeaky little voice took over. But the words were all smeared together, as if they had been written in ink and somebody had rubbed their hand over it before it dried. Before he knew it, he was gallopping across the vast, dusty plains.

The grass under his hooves grew greener and softer. He heard the sound of rushing water and in a few moments he had reached a river, just at the base of a waterfall. He lowered his head to take a drink, and when he raised his eyes again, he saw someone lying on the opposite bank. He trotted through the clear, shallow water and looked down on the boy in front of him.

He saw himself. And beside him, Luna Lovegood. A little farther down the bank, under a tree, lay Ron and Hermione. Were they dead? No. Only sleeping, only sleeping. Hermione shifted slightly and sighed.

Harry tossed his head and paced upstream to look down at Ron and Hermione. The cold water rushed around his ankles and the spray of the falls gently kissed his face and ears. His friends' faces were calm and blissful, and there was a strange, unearthly sheen to their skin. Deeper in the shadow of the tree he could see more people. Faces he didn't recognise, faces he couldn't place, faces he couldn't quite see. He stretched out his neck to see better. Pale, smiling people, sleeping in the shade of the tree. Only he and Luna were set apart.

"Harry?" a voice said.

Harry jerked awake. Hermione pointed to the pile of chicken drumsticks that had appeared at the table.

"All right, Harry?" Neville asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Harry said, rubbing his temples. "Just tired."

Hermione nodded sympathetically, then turned to Ron. He was white-faced and tense.

"Oh, Ron, please eat something," Hermione pleaded. He shook his head. "Look, there's nothing you could have done. It's not as if you were the one who sent her off to patrol. She volunteered for it."

Ron dropped his head into his hands again.

"Oh, stop it," Hermione said, a little impatiently. "Didn't you hear Dumbledore? Nobody was seriously hurt. Madam Pomfrey knows what she's doing. She'll have everybody patched up in no time."

Ron sighed. He picked up a single chicken leg and dropped it onto his plate. He stared at it.

"Oh, just eat it, for Pete's sake!" Hermione said, exasperated. Ron grunted, but he did eat. Hermione seemed content with this and returned her attention to Harry.

"So," she said. "Tell me about you and Luna Lovegood"

Harry swallowed. "What about me and Luna Lovegood?"

"I mean about you carrying her and everything."

"She was dizzy."

"Even so."

"She couldn't stand up."

"If you say so."

"What are you getting at?"

Hermione put her goblet down. "It's just that I've never seen you act like that before."

"Act like what?"

"Well, you just seemed so worried, Harry," she said.

"Well, of course I was worried," Harry said hotly. "She couldn't walk!"

"It's not just that, Harry," she said, shaking her head.

"What is it, then?" he grunted, returning to his food.

Hermione sighed. "It's the way you were looking at her," she said.

Harry gulped. "H-how's that?" he said. He hadn't been looking at her, had he?

"Well," Hermione said, struggling for how to describe it, "like - like Ginny used to look at you."

Harry blushed. "Oh, come off it," he said, trying to shrug it off. But in his mind he wondered.

Hermione opened her mouth to prod him further, but Neville had been listening and quickly came to the rescue.

"So, what do you think the new teacher will be like?" he said casually.

Harry saw a firecracker go off in Hermione's eyes.

"Yes, I've been wondering about her," she said rapidly. "That girl is her daughter?"

"That's what she said."

"Well, I was talking to Tonks about her," Hermione said confidentially, leaning in, "and she said that Koryu Shimizu is only in her twenties. She's not old enough to have a daughter our age."

"So... do you reckon Lilia's lying?" Ron said, slowly putting down his chicken leg.

"But why would she?" Harry said.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know."

"But Lilia said she had never met her mother," Neville said. "So maybe there's more than one person with the same name."

"Oh, come on," Ron said. "How many Koryu Shimizus can there be?"

"You know, Ron," Harry said. "Your Dad didn't seem to be quite sure what her first name was. So maybe they are two different people."

"And there's another thing," Hermione said. "Her name is Japanese, but I saw her getting out of the carriage after Professor McGonagall and she didn't look Japanese at all."

"So maybe she's mixed," Harry said, wearily. "Just drop it, Hermione."

"Hey, Neville," Ron said, grinning. "You're getting some looks." He nodded toward a cluster of first-year girls. Neville turned to look. The girls giggled and looked away.

"You really do look different," Harry said. Neville shrugged his shoulders noncommitally.

"Anyway, if this Professor Shimizu really is Koryu Shimizu, she's supposed to be an expert on something called physical magic," Hermione continued.

"What's that?" Neville asked.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted.

"Do you think she might have had something to do with the train wreck?" Ron asked.

"I doubt it," Harry said, combing his fingers through his thick black hair.

"Well, not directly, anyway," Hermione said. "Dumbledore wouldn't have hired her if she weren't trustworthy. But some people just attract trouble." Harry shot her a look. She shrugged. "It probably has nothing to do with her."

"But still, why attack the train? Hardly anybody was hurt," Harry said.

"Maybe they didn't know about the safety spells," Ron suggested.

"Possibly," Hermione said, "but I doubt it."

"Or maybe it was just to scare us," Neville said.

"Right now that seems most likely," said Hermione. "It doesn't seem to have done anything else."

"Unless it was just a distraction so that You-Know-Who could get away with something else," Ron said.

"Like what?"

Ron opened his mouth to answer, but Dumbledore's voice cut him off.

"Now that she has arrived," Dumbledore said, "I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Koryu Shimizu."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Again, if you're still willing to read this after the sixth book comes out, review and tell us, okay? 

Kaori: Hope to see you next time.

Since when do you hope to see anyone, Kaori?


End file.
